Tan Jingwei touched the cigarette box on the bedside table; it was empty.
Seeing this, Sheng Zhaozhong immediately took out half a pack of Long Life cigarettes from his pocket and handed them over along with a lighter. While Tan Jingwei was lighting his cigarette, Sheng Zhaozhong opened the door and said to the two clerical staff members waiting for news outside, "Go out and buy two packs of cigarettes. Mr. Tam and I are talking inside. Have Di Zhen and the others come and keep watch. Don't let anyone come in and disturb us."
"Understood, Mr. Sheng."
Two office workers cautiously peeked into the room, which was filled with smoke. The ashtray on the table was already full of cigarette butts, and even from outside the door, they could smell the pungent smoke.
Sheng Zhaozhong returned to the room, closed the door, and lit a cigarette to get used to the pungent smell in the room.
"Fourth Brother, what is the purpose of all this running around?" Tan Jingwei's voice sounded a little hoarse, and his eyes were full of fatigue. He seemed a little confused as he asked.
Sheng Zhaozhong frowned slightly. This was the first time he had seen Tan Jingwei like this since they met. In his memory, Tan Jingwei always seemed to be in control and have everything under his command. Even when he learned that his younger brother had died in Hong Kong, Tan Jingwei was only silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said "what a spineless thing" before returning to normal.
Sheng Zhaozhong recalled what the two clerical staff had said to him when he returned to the hotel, and tentatively asked, "Is it related to the phone call from Secretary Zhu?"
Tan Jingwei took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled a long plume of smoke, and then nodded with a wry smile, "Now some people think that the opium in the Golden Triangle is a fertile field from which they can make a fortune. I had already informed the people in the Golden Triangle to double-cross each other, but after a phone call from Secretary Zhu today, they asked us to assist the Thailand in sharing this fertile field. They even said that the matter of the two airline employees could be put aside for now."
Sheng Zhaozhong's expression changed several times, but before he could speak, he heard Tan Jingwei's voice rang out again.
"Fuck your mother! I traveled all the way from the sea to Hong Kong, and if I had known from the beginning that they were after opium, I would have stayed at the university teaching students." Tan Jingwei, clutching a half-pack of Long Life cigarettes, stared at the bold characters "Build Taiwan, Revive China" on the cigarette pack and slammed it against the wall. "Revive China? It's rotten to the core from top to bottom, what's the point of reviving it?"
Sheng Zhaozhong fell silent, finally understanding why Tan Jingwei had acted so strangely today. Like Tan Jingwei, he was a proud and ambitious man, and their upbringing had instilled in them the paramount importance of national rejuvenation. Even knowing that this trip to Hong Kong and Kowloon, they had still gone without hesitation. But now, realizing that they had been used as pawns by those incompetent officials to plunder wealth, and that this wealth was none other than the most despicable opium, he felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and most of his enthusiasm had cooled down.
"Should I call my superior and ask him to find a way to report the current situation to the principal?" Sheng Zhaozhong said this without much confidence. Taiwan was in complete chaos, both internally and externally. Even if the principal knew, what could he do? He was powerless to change anything.
Tan Jingwei clearly understood this principle as well. He shook his head slightly, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and turned to stare at Sheng Zhaozhong: "Fourth Brother, a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders. Besides, some people aren't even emperors. Do you dare to play a game with me?"
Sheng Zhaozhong breathed a sigh of relief. In Tan Jingwei, he saw the familiar shadow of the past again. His previous worries that Tan Jingwei might fall into a slump vanished, and he answered without hesitation, "We came from the same school. If even you are not afraid, what do I have to be afraid of?"
Tan Jingwei abruptly sat up from the edge of the bed, a confident smile spreading across his face once more, "Good! This time, not only will I prevent the ships carrying the two airlines from leaving, but I'll also make sure the Thailand are permanently confined to Hong Kong. Even if I face punishment upon returning to Taiwan after these two things are done, I'll accept it! Damn you Thailand, a bunch of defeated soldiers who think they can make a fortune off opium on China soil? Do they think this is the Great Qing?"
Sheng Zhaozhong grinned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Having worked with Tan Jingwei for so long, the two shared many similar views, one of which was their deep abhorrence of the widespread harmful effects of opium.
"By the way, tell me again about what you said before about Xu Enbo and Song Tianyao secretly colluding." Tan Jingwei, having cleared up his mind, still hadn't forgotten the main purpose of his trip to Hong Kong and asked about the employees of the Two Airlines Uprising.
Sheng Zhaozhong cleared his throat, about to speak, when there was a knock on the door.
Sheng Zhaozhong glanced at Tan Jingwei, got up and opened the door. Outside, besides Di Zhen and others on guard duty, the two clerical staff members he had just ordered to buy cigarettes had returned. As they handed two packs of Long Life cigarettes to Sheng Zhaozhong, one of the clerical staff members told Sheng Zhaozhong some news.
"Mr. Sheng, General Sai from Thailand is downstairs right now. He says he'd like to have a word with Mr. Tam."
Sheng Zhaozhong subconsciously turned to look at Tan Jingwei. Although Tan Jingwei was sitting in the room, he heard every word his subordinate's words.
"The Thailand want to see me? It seems Secretary Zhu not only called me but also made arrangements with the Thailand." Tan Jingwei grabbed his coat from the bed, casually draped it over his shoulders, and strode out of the room. Although he had a smile on his face, his voice carried a chill. "Fourth Brother, let's go downstairs and see what this partner we've arranged has to say."
Tan Jingwei led Sheng Zhaozhong out together. Di Zhen and his men exchanged glances and followed behind them. The group walked down the hotel's wooden staircase step by step.
In the hotel lobby, Sai Charonwang and several Thailand men were waiting respectfully. Hearing footsteps, Sai Charonwang looked up at the top of the stairs and saw Tan Jingwei leading the way. He smiled warmly and clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect to Tan Jingwei, saying, "Sawasdee ka, Commander Tan."